Senator Stabenow’s bill aims to help farmers, workers, processors and Americans in need during COVID-19 crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Consumer Reports urged lawmakers in Congress to support the Food Supply Protection Act, a bill introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow, which would provide funding to protect workers in food processing plants from COVID-19 outbreaks and support a number of initiatives to expand food distribution to those in need.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created disruptions in the food supply chain and posed a serious threat to the health and safety of workers at food processing plants,” said Brian Ronholm, Director of Food Policy at Consumer Reports. “This bill will help stabilize the food supply chain during a time when many families are struggling financially, and provide important funding to allow food processing facilities to purchase protective equipment, test kits and cleaning supplies to protect frontline workers.”
The Food Supply Protection Act provides funding for small and medium-sized food processing plants to retool their equipment and purchase personal protective equipment to protect workers from COVID-19 risks. The bill would also provide infrastructure grants to food banks and nonprofits to help them meet the growing need for food in their communities. Finally, the bill includes grants and reimbursements to foster new partnerships between farmers and food banks to prevent food waste and ensure surplus food reaches families in need.
Michael McCauley, michael.mccauley@consumer.org, 415-902-9537